Mel Campbell
Film/TV critic, copyeditor, author and shadow academic on Wurundjeri Woiwurrung country
- I finally capitulated and bought a 12-tin box of my cat’s expensive venison tinned food As I took it to the counter of the pet shop, the shop assistant said, “Getting a slab, are ya?” “Yeah, well it is Friday night,” I replied
- I wonder if Paul Mescal has thought about bringing out his own brand of tequila
- While screaming at the absurd reveal of Yassified Julius Caesar in ‘Spartacus: House of Ashur’, I looked up what Caesar looked like IRL & found this Patricia Piccinini-esque reconstruction that was like “this guy definitely was not born by vadge”
- I know this is serious, but I can't stop laughing at Jeff's phrasing Scoundrel time!
- As a young teen I craved the gingham bustier Melissa Tkautz wears in the 'Sexy (Is the Word)' video. Sportsgirl sold bras in a similar style at the time which I would fondle yearningly, absolutely unable to afford them
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- Reposted by Mel Campbell"Punishment Pays: The reason why the Government won’t bin Mutual Obligations" by @jeremypoxon.bsky.social for @thepointau.bsky.social thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
- Reposted by Mel Campbell"actually his stuff was very Derivative and not Original" like, you don't have to do this. it is good for us all to sit with the cognitive dissonance that a very bad person can make very good art. it is good for us to work through the moral ramifications of that.
- Reposted by Mel Campbellamong other things, it's good for our brains to have practice understanding that a person who has added something good to our lives -- as a friend, a teacher, a family member, an artist whose work we love -- can have done harm that it's now our moral duty to name.
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- The moment we're living through has me thinking there's so little satisfaction in having been correct (Morrissey voice) Now I know how Cassandra felt Now I know how Cassandra felt As the flames rose to her Trojan nose And her iPhone started to melt
- Appointment TV on Monday: Australian Story's featuring ALBY MANGELS I'm telling you, Mangels, it's INSANE! Nobody's ever worn tiny shorts and ushered a bevy of baddies around various rugged and idyllic destinations, and SURVIVED!
- Reposted by Mel Campbell"When I pretend to be someone else, I go to the depths of nothingness. The more I do that—become nothing—and the more I let the character take over, the more I feel like that person. When you become the person, nothing is contrived.”—Catherine O'Hara www.rogerebert.com/tributes/the...
- I hear it’s got a really useful index 😎
- The physical copies of my new book, based on my DECRA research, have arrived! You can order a copy for your library here: www.bloomsbury.com/us/emotions-... or read about the project at: www.beautysalonproject.com
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- Reposted by Mel CampbellFrom the start of the year to last Friday, the Vice Chancellor of my university was paid the equivalent of an entire annual salary for a full-time Associate Lecturer. (maths based on full pay + super before tax, based on VC's reported 2024 income from the 2025 financial statement).
- Was struck by Max Chandler-Mather's point in @deepcutnews.bsky.social that anti-immigration policies are popular with those in material distress who crave political agency, & "borders are one of the few sovereign powers that states haven’t handed over to finance capital or unelected institutions."
- Reposted by Mel CampbellFront page Epstein files story today reveals Steve Bannon told Clive Palmer to spend $60mil on anti-China and anti-climate change ads for the 2019 election. D’ya think this could be why we want our media to ask “who’s behind this & who does it serve?” rather than just reporting “pollie said this”?!
- The Weekly is woeful at satire at the best of times. But we’re living in the blurst of times… More, please, from the Always Was Tonight team! Writers included Yaraman Thorne, Megan Wilding, Aaron Collins, Jay Wymarra & Dave Woodhead Wilding in particular was piss-funny in ‘Gold Diggers’ (2023)
- A comma
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- I am so repulsed by the sound of drunken men shouting at the tops of their voices. My Youthful Neighbours are having yet another party and some of them are doing grunty gorilla hoots while others are bawling in utterly tuneless ‘song’
- 1980s-era Christopher Lloyd would have been great in a Michel Foucault biopic
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- Fresh from observing that my friends' daughters' netball skirt-length school uniforms are much shorter than anything we would've got away with, I have brought my walking frame over here to be like when did 'sunscreen' turn into 'SPF'? When did 'terms & conditions' become 'tees and sees'
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- Humidity is so much worse than dry heat. Today the sweat just poured off me and the air felt thick and hard to breathe. It’s 66% relative humidity inside my place now and it feels swampy and gross. Outside it’s 89%. It’s projected to get to 91% by 2am
- Who invents pharmaceutical brand names? My cat was on ondansetron, an anti-nausea med that sounds like a Euro EDM club My psych clinic also now offers an intranasal esketamine spray for treatment-resistant depression… called Spravato Whatsa matter you, eh? Why you looka so sad? Sniffa da Spravato
- Australia is run by landlords for landlords The national anthem speaks of shared commonwealth, but that wealth was stolen from sovereign First Peoples & locked away from workers & carers If we shared it we could all thrive. But no The rage and disgust I feel at this can't easily be put into words
- Ah jeez, there's an upcoming Netflix series adaptation of 'The Age of Innocence' Ben Radcliffe is Newland Archer; Kristine Froseth (who plays Nan in Apple's adaptation of 'The Buccaneers') is May Welland; Camila Morrone (who was Camila in 'Daisy Jones & the Six') is Ellen Olenska
- When I saw this article, my first thought was, "look, anything that keeps them safely atomised by self-actualisation so they don't have time to assault anyone or meddle in politics"
- www.ft.com/content/d0b7... No thank you.
- wish I knew enough Latin to participate in this
- My Latin speaking peeps: @shadowspar.bsky.social was looking for a good Latin equivalent of "fuck around, find out" and this was my attempt, but I know it's not perfect; who's got better?
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- Lots of TikTok users, including Bisan, are joining @upscrolled.bsky.social The interface is a lot like IG & has Stories, but works nicely for text posts as well as image carousels and videos I'm on there under the same username as here, though I haven't posted anything yet
- Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda with 1.4m followers reports TikTok ban aje.news/ljjuww
- I really appreciate that when I said to my vet, "I used to call him Graham Valjean…" she immediately understood and said, "…because he stole bread?" I nodded solemnly. "His sister's kitten was close to death."
- Reposted by Mel CampbellI wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free
- I am researching diabetes in cats, and one source says to avoid giving the cat treats: “If titbits are given, a slice of carrot is suitable – high fiber, low fat!” Get real! What cat will eat a slice of carrot??
- Reposted by Mel CampbellI have felt increasingly out of step with mainstream Judaism over the past several years, but I cannot imagine how you could work at a Holocaust Museum and envision your role in this way. I just cannot imagine.
- Story aside, I want to praise the subeditor for this evocative headline but I wonder if it should’ve been ‘washes’ to agree with the singular ‘horde’, rather than the plural ‘wash’ attached to the plural ‘jellyfish’
- Reposted by Mel CampbellFeel like a man throwing a homemade IED into a large crowd at an invasion day rally should be bigger news
- (doomed explorer voice) I am just going to a preview screening and may be some time
- Renters' advocacy org @betterrenting.bsky.social is doing a data-collection sprint to capture info on conditions inside homes during the heatwave. You can do this quick survey whether you rent, own your home or live with family You can also upload heatwave pics of the kind I posted about yesterday
- Reposted by Mel CampbellEverything they learned in Minnesota they’re applying in Maine from day one. They started off doing fast-moving snatch and grabs on the street, recording and using facial id on observers, and threatening observers directly. They’ll do it all where you live too.
- Why is the msm outside of Maine not covering this? It seems like a huge and very troubling story to me. ICE coming to observers houses or calling them on the phone warning them to back off??!! www.pressherald.com/2026/01/23/i...
- Advocacy org Sweltering Cities wants you to send them pics of what extreme heat really looks like: you and your pets trying to keep cool; hot streets, bus or tram stops; closed businesses; or other visual markers of heat. DM them the pics on IG or email them to info at sweltering cities dot org
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- Aaron says part of the problem is that “Copy editors check formatting consistency, not ontological validity.” well maybe SOME copy editors don’t check if a reference actually exists, but I do* 💅 *in my ‘Reference Concierge’ service, my premium referencing service for working scholars (not HDRs)
- You know the game Truth or Dare? I just remembered that it could metastasise into Truth, Dare, Double Dare, Torture, Kiss and Promise I don’t remember what Promise involved
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- I just learned Chubby Checker is still alive – via a factito that he’s one of only three still-living people among all those mentioned in ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ by Billy Joel
